Description
Guilty or not guilty?! Let your students decide the fate of the narrator from “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe in this engaging, trial-style literary analysis lesson.
This activity pushes students beyond basic comprehension and into research, critical thinking, close reading, and evidence-based analysis as they examine the narrator’s actions through a legal lens. Students begin by researching the different degrees of murder in the United States and then apply that legal knowledge directly to Poe’s short story.
After completing their research, students take on the role of judge in the case against the narrator. Using textual evidence from the story, they must determine whether the crime was premeditated, whether a clear motive exists, and whether there is sufficient evidence to support a plea of insanity. Once students reach a verdict—guilty or not guilty—they must also decide on an appropriate punishment for the defendant.
Throughout the lesson, students make meaningful connections between literature and real-world legal concepts while practicing argumentation, inference, and close reading skills. The structured research component ensures students understand the law before forming conclusions, while the literary analysis reinforces careful reading and justification.
This resource includes a student research guide, materials that create a direct connection between legal concepts and the short story, and text-dependent questions that require students to cite evidence from Poe’s text. An editable teacher copy is provided for flexibility, along with a complete answer guide for easy implementation.
Perfect as a culminating activity for “The Tell-Tale Heart” or as a prewriting experience for an argumentative essay, this lesson consistently sparks discussion, debate, and high-level thinking in middle and high school ELA classrooms.